Montana Voluntary Evacuation Zone

The Keystone Voluntary Evacuation Zone is based on the health department response to a diluted bitumen spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. In that incident, residents along a 40-mile stretch of river were voluntarily evacuated up to one mile away from the river. Fumes could be smelled over 30 miles away.

Drawn from the Keystone Mapping Project Google Earth view, these images form the basis for Thomas Bachand’s VEZ Grid Abstracts series, an exploration of both our perception of, and impact upon, the landscape — seen and unseen. Combining satellite imagery with custom mapping features, the panels examine the interplay of physical and human geography. In series, the photography reveals broader patterns and larger questions.